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Brandon League is the front-runner to open the season as the Dodgers' closer, but the addition of Soriano would presumably push him into a set-up role. Olney speculates that there's about a "20 percent" chance that a deal gets done, so the scenario is considered a longshot. Signing Soriano would cost the Dodgers their first-round pick in 2013.

Mitch Haniger (wrist) is back in the lineup and hitting third against the Athletics on Thursday.

Haniger ended up only missing Wednesday's game -- plus the end of Tuesday's game -- after being hit in the wrist with a pitch. He was able to swing the bat in the cages on Wednesday, and now he's back in the middle of the order for the M's. Haniger has been one of the keys to Seattle's strong play in 2018, slashing .296/.381/.568 with 11 homers and 36 RBI over 47 games.

Sano will be back in the Twins' starting lineup for Friday night's series opener against the Mariners after missing a little under four weeks with a left hamstring strain. He batted .375/.474/.750 with two home runs over five rehab games with Triple-A Rochester.

Mark Trumbo (knee) is not in the lineup for Thursday's tilt against the White Sox.

It makes back-to-back games that Trumbo will be out of the lineup because of the knee trouble. Baltimore manager Buck Showalter told reporters that if Trumbo doesn't show improvement on Friday, he'll be reevaluated for a possible DL stint. Craig Gentry will play right field and hit seventh against Lucas Giolito.

Major League Baseball suspended C Welington Castillo for 80 games for performance-enhancing drug use.

Castillo was popped for taking the hormone Erythropoietin, a popular PED in the cycling world. He'll be out until late August and will not be eligible to participate in the 2018 postseason, not that that matters for any White Sox player this year. The 31-year-old catching was slashing .267/.309/466 with six home runs and 15 RBI through 33 games for Chicago. Omar Narvaez will presumably see the large share of the starts behind the plate moving forward. He carries no mixed-league fantasy upside.

Votto has dealt with some back issues this month and will take a day for treatment and rest. Brandon Dixon is starting at first base and batting seventh on Thursday afternoon against Pirates righty Ivan Nova.

Shohei Ohtani is no longer scheduled to pitch Sunday against the Yankees.

Ohtani would have been lined up to face countrymate Masahiro Tanaka in the series finale at Yankee Stadium. This decision was made for "workload management" purposes, per Angels manager Mike Scioscia. It's unclear when Ohtani will pitch next, though he is available to continue hitting.

Francisco Cervelli (hand, finger) is out of the Pirates' starting lineup Thursday versus the Reds.

Cervelli left Wednesday night's game in the 12th inning due to discomfort in his right hand and finger. This has been a lingering issue for the veteran catcher, but it doesn't sound overly serious. Elias Diaz is starting behind the plate and batting seventh Thursday afternoon against Cincinnati right-hander Luis Castillo.

Adam Plutko tossed six innings of two-hit, shutout baseball to beat the Cubs 1-0 on Wednesday.

He outdueled Cubs ace Jon Lester in impressive fashion while making his second major league start. He had a no-hitter going through six innings, then allowed hits to the first two batters of the seventh before being relieved. He struck out four and walked four in the gem outing. He was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Josh Tomlin's spot in the rotation. He made a spot start earlier this year. He had a 2.25 ERA in seven starts at Triple-A and will likely be a hot pickup in fantasy leagues, although he doesn't have the strikeout ability needed to create a ton of fantasy value.

Marco Gonzales delivered an outstanding performance in Wednesday's victory over the Athletics, allowing just two hits over seven shutout innings.

Gonzales racked up six strikeouts on the night while issuing a pair of free passes. He needed to be every bit that good as well, as the Mariners' offense was only able to generate one unearned run. Now 4-3 on the season, the 26-year-old hurler will carry a 4.05 ERA and 1.35 WHIP into Monday's start against the Rangers. With two home starts on tap for next week, he makes for an interesting streaming option in weekly mixed leagues.

Jon Lester took a tough loss after allowing just one run in seven innings against the Indians on Wednesday.

He surrendered an RBI-single to Michael Brantley in the third inning and that was all it took to ruin his day. The veteran southpaw struck out four batters against one walk and four knocks -- all singles. He falls to 4-2 with a sensational 2.37 ERA after 10 starts. He'll hope for better luck against the Pirates on Tuesday.

Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-4 and drove in two runs to tie the game in the ninth inning to key a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

He came to the plate with the bases loaded against closer Tyler Clippard with his team trailing by two in the ninth inning. He laced a single to center field that plated Mike Trout and Justin Upton. The next batter, Andrelton Simmons, also singled to drive in two more runs. Serving as the designated hitter, Ohtani also walked once and struck out twice in the contest. The two-way superstar has an exceptional .308 batting average and .582 slugging percentage with six homers and 19 RBI in addition to his exploits on the mound.